Five Training and Development Mistakes: Don't Worry! Here's How to Save Yourself!

Training and development has one of the widest definitions of all business terms. Some companies hand out a list of "do this" and "don't do this" - and it's training. Some, on the other hand, may spend years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to train one person in the classroom, on the job, and via online learning. But no matter if training is basic or elaborate, we can make the same mistakes - and invalidate our training programs. Here are five common training and development mistakes, along with how to avoid them.

1. Designing training without a needs analysis. Whether you're looking for a ten page "how to" manual or an eight week experiential course, writing it without an "up front" analysis leads to re-writing it in the future. You must find out what employees are expected to do (or are not doing). You must find out what problems exist in that employee process, whether it be through surveying employees, supervisors, or even customers. You should find out how the jobs you're designing for impact the company's strategy. If either management or the training department assume they know what needs to be trained, the program will be off-base at best.
2. Designing training without an understanding of the audience. Just as advertising copy must be targeted toward an audience, so does training. If the audience is not technologically solid, you shouldn't give them lots of online training. But if the audience is full of X-Box primed new generational learners, you can't plop them in a classroom for forty hours a week and expect them to benefit from lecture and Power Point alone. It is vital to find out who the audience really is, what their past experiences are, and what they are expected to do in the future.
3. A lack of solid examples in training programs. This sounds simple, but it's a common mistake. Introducing any new concept should come with scenarios, real-life case studies, video, or even role plays that illustrate the point. Learning styles vary, but we know that plenty of people learn by "seeing" the concept "in action". As a training professional in banking, I always think of the FDIC example. Anyone who has trained new bankers on FDIC sets up scenarios about grampa, his money, and how he distributes his accounts to get the best coverage. When I trained FDIC, I even drew pictures of grampa, grandma, Uncle Bob, and the kids. Even flip-charted (and in my case, badly drawn) examples are never going to waste.
4. No hands on practice. This is especially true when teaching software or technical skills, and even sales or customer service. A screen shot or a script is fantastic to introduce an idea - and to take back to the job as a quick reference. But in class, or even in an online learning simulation, participants must be allowed to "do" what it is they're being taught. Use simulation software for online learning that takes participants through a real-time software process. Or have classroom participants role play the customer service interaction, complete with mystery shoppers or surveys. When it comes to educating adults, remember to tell, show, and then have them do it.
5. Failure to prep instructors. Assuming that an instructor can just take a course and deliver it in a classroom is a mistake. Training designers should include a "train the trainer" or migration plan in their package. Instructors should be required to attend a "train the trainer" course and conduct "teachbacks" for the designers, that is, the instructors should teach the class to the people who designed it. Training instructors excel at showing confidence, poise, and professionalism even when they don't feel it. Training developers should do everything in their power to help instructors feel confident with a new program.

This isn't to cloud the day with gloom and doom! These mistakes are easy to avoid - and when you do, you'll add value to your training programs.

Visit Blue Notebook Communications for more information on training consultation and development.